1. Field of the Invention
The subject invention relates generally to an apparatus for winding fishing line onto a fishing reel and, more particularly, to an apparatus for winding fishing line from a supply spool onto either a crank-type reel or a crankless reel.
2. Background of the Related Art
Depending on the condition of a fisherman's fishing line on his/her reel, the fisherman may rewind the line as infrequently as once a year, or as often as once a day. In fact, fisherman that are involved in fishing tournaments will often change the line on as many as ten reels every day during a competition in order to ensure that the line on each reel is in new condition.
Generally, changing line on a fishing reel is a relatively simple operation. If a reel already has line wound onto it, the line must first be removed, or "stripped", from the spool of the reel. After removal, the stripped line is either discarded or recycled. Thereafter, new line is unwound from a supply spool and onto the reel in one of several ways.
Those that change the fishing line on their reels often seek a method to do so that is automated to at least some extent. A number of devices have been developed for automating the rewinding of fishing line from a supply spool to fishing reel spools. The two general categories of such devices may be classified as rod-mounted rewinder devices and table-top rewinder devices.
Examples of rod-mounted rewinder devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,026,059; 3,261,569; 3,312,418; and 3,679,151. Each of these devices share the disadvantage of being difficult to assemble and/or awkward to operate. In addition, none of the rod-mounted rewinder devices provide a mechanism for automatically reeling the line onto a fishing reel, therefore, the operator must reel in all of the line from the supply spool to the reel by hand.
Examples of table-top rewinder devices are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,647,155; 3,704,840; 4,588,139; and 4,795,107. The table-top rewinder devices are somewhat of an improvement over the rod-mounted rewinder devices in that they are less awkward to operate and most provide a more mechanized method for winding and unwinding line, for example, by employing a motor drive. However, all but one of the table-top rewinder devices, i.e., U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,139, are limited in that they are capable of rewinding fishing line from a supply spool to only a limited number of reel types. For example, the device of U.S. Pat. No. 3,647,155 is configured to wind line onto a spool of a spinning reel type fishing reel, but it cannot rewind line onto a bait casting type fishing reel. Similarly, the device of U.S. Pat. No. 3,704,840 is configured to wind line onto a spool of a spinning reel type fishing reel, although without requiring that the spool to be detached from the reel.
The device disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,588,139 ("'139 device") provides some improvements over the other table-top rewinding devices, however, it still suffers from certain deficiencies. The '139 device is configured to rewind fishing line from a supply spool onto the spool of either a crank-type reel, for example, a bait casting reel, or crankless reel, for example, a spinning reel spool. The device includes a spindle on a frame for supporting a supply spool in a rotatable position on the frame. A motor-driven rotor is provided on the frame for engaging and winding either a crank-type reel or the spool of a crankless reel. A support member is mountable on the frame alternatively in a first orientation for supporting a crank-type reel or a second orientation for supporting a spool of a crankless reel. Guide elements are provided on the frame for guiding the fishing line from the supply spool onto the respective fishing reel/spool mounted on the frame.
Although the '139 device is capable of rewinding line onto different reel types, it is still deficient in that it does not accommodate various configurations of the different reel types. For example, the '139 device does not accommodate reels having crank handles on different sides of the reel, e.g., left-handed reels vis-a-vis right-handed reels. In addition, the device does not accommodate reels having different heights, i.e., different distances from the foot of a reel to the center of rotation of its crank handle. Furthermore, the '139 device requires several guide elements that inhibit the transfer of, and/or induce fouling/twisting of line that is being fed from the supply spool to a spool of a fishing reel.
In view of the above, there is clearly a need in the art for an improved apparatus for rewinding fishing line from a fishing line supply spool to the multitude of fishing reels types presently available on the market today.